Niranjan Shah
Niranjan Shah Eradicates Poverty and Illiteracy in India Through the LIFT Foundation
Niranjan Shah Chicago and the LIFT Foundation are in the midst of transforming Indian communities. The Foundation is dedicated to supporting the care and the education of the youth as a way of eradicating illiteracy in India. The organization has restored the hope lost among the children due to the high cost of education and poverty.
The LIFT Foundation is a philanthropic program that aims to transform Indian communities through investing in the education of the youth and offering leadership training. The headquarters of the Foundation are based in Tamil Nadu (India). Niranjan Shah Chicago and Fr. Jamel James decided to establish the organization to give back to the Indian communities.
The idea was introduced by the priests who were working in various Indian Communities; they realized high rates of poverty and illiteracy. This called for civilization which required enough capital. Fr. Jamel James went for an academic trip to Chicago, he met Fr. Jack Wall and shared his experience back in India.
The idea Inspired Fr. Jack Wall, other volunteers came in and supported Fr. Jamel, this marked the beginning of the LIFT Foundation in 2004. The organization has sponsored over twenty-five students for the last fifteen years it has been in action. The students have graduated from various Universities while others have already attained their bachelor’s degree.
Every year, the LIFT Foundation selects over seventy students to attend school. The student selected ranges from primary to graduate schools depending on their abilities. Most of the selected students are orphans, while others come from extremely poor families. Regardless of the students’ backgrounds, they are all offered high-quality education.
The students are supplied with all the necessities to ensure that they are comfortable for them to perform exemplarily. However, apart from education, the LIFT Foundation has a great understanding of the needs of students. This is why the Students Council exists; this is a board of students that works with the leadership of the Foundation to streamline matters related to meals and other activities such as sports.
The children are taken through mentorship programs since most of them come from devastating families. The Foundation has leaders who deeply understand the condition in Indian communities; such leaders are always in charge of the mentorship sessions to expose the children to real-life situations.
Leadership training is another tenet of the LIFT Foundation; students are trained about the qualities of good leaders and given a chance to practice the skills taught. Teamwork, conflict resolution and problem-solving are also skills taught out of class.
Niranjan Shah is a humanitarian and an entrepreneur. He has accomplished a variety of projects such as being the co-founder and the head of Globetrotters Engineering Corporation.